The Awakening

Summary:
When something threatens to tear you a part how do you fight it? With words or actions? Through problems with their own relationship Bella and Edward learn the valuable lesson that love--and marriage is a two way street.

1. Chapter 1: Plans

But the beginning of things, of a world especially, is necessarily vague, tangled, chaotic, and exceedingly disturbing. How few of us ever emerge from such a beginning!

~Kate Chopin

The Awakening

Chapter One

Plans

When one is a vampire time flies and keeping track seems foolish. Well I’ve been called worse things then foolish, it was five years, five years without aging, five years without my original family, and five years of being a vampire. Five years of pain, fighting, and heartbreak. My greatest wish had become my greatest torment. I could do this, I sighed, it would be for the best, and perhaps some time apart would mend the rifts between Edward and myself.

Alice wandered in while I was packing. “So you’re really leaving then?” she asked folding herself gracefully into a chair. Her face was glum, and I hated to admit that it was my fault. I hated to hurt people, especially my newfound family, most of who wouldn’t know about it until I was gone. While I was doing this to try to save my marriage, I was hurting other who cared about me to in the process. I simply nodded, choking back tears, and shoved the last of my clothes into a bag.

It had all been planned, very fast and with the greatest secrecy, because when you are dealing with a mind reader keeping anything confidential is an impossible task. Yet still plans had been made, Edward went out hunting as usual with Emmett, and now it was time for all of my carefully laid plans to be put in action. Tickets had been purchased, ID’s made, bank accounts opened, no detail over looked, and nothing left for chance.

She studied me for a minute and shook her head. Alice didn’t get it, though she saw the future it seemed that it was hard for her to see what was happening in the present. At times I felt like screaming at her, ‘Don’t you see that I’ve tried, for five years I’ve been there and tried to make this work and I can’t do it anymore!’

“Bella—”

“Don’t,” I started, if she finished that comment I knew that I wouldn’t have the courage to continue with my plan. “Please Alice.”

“Bella I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Then what is? In all of your infinite wisdom Alice what would you have me do?” I snapped at her the anger finally getting the better of me. I hated to do this to Alice, she was my best friend and sister, but it would work better if she was kept out of the loop. Alice merely pursed her lips in frustration and continued.

“I think this course of action is stupid, reckless, and will ultimately hurt you both.”

I knew she was right, and somehow I couldn’t care less, Edward needed some kind of wake-up call, besides if I stayed I would just continue to hurt.

“Bella,” Rosalie entered beaming in all of her golden glory. We hadn’t exactly become friends in the last few years, but we had moved on to acquaintances. This newfound friendship, however, did not hide her excitement about getting me out of the way. “Carlisle wanted me to give you this.” She laid a plan ticket on the bed before adding “And I wanted to give you this,” she said it rather begrudgingly, but she pulled out an I-pod and threw it on top of the ticket. Alice picked up the ticket looking at the departure and the arrival.

Alice raised an eyebrow. “You know Edward will never fall for this.”

“That’s the point,” I replied stuffing the device in my bag. I grabbed the ticket from Alice’s grip, swung my bag over my shoulder and headed out the door. I sensed Alice following me but I didn’t stop or slow my pace the faster this was done the better. She did catch up to me in the garage.

“Bella, stop.” She rested her ice-cold hands on the handlebars of my motorcycle.

“Alice, please, let go.” An internal battle ragged across her perfect face, but she finally came to a decision.

“It’s stupid –” She blurted out, the frustration that she had kept in check exploded. “You think this will solve all of your problems.”

“Alice if you’re not part of the solution you’re part of the problem,” I hissed, grabbing her wrists, “Let go.”

“So now I’m just like him—a—a problem,” she stammered, “something to be dealt with? Is that it?”

“He’s not the problem,” I whispered not sure if even her fine tuned vampire sense could hear me. No, he would never be the problem. I didn’t even know what the true problem was, but staying here and being in a constant silent battle with someone you love wasn’t going to help me sign an armistice any time soon.

When she spoke again all of the irritation had washed away. “You are coming back aren’t you?”

“Alice I thought you could see the future?” I joked hoping to lighten the dark mood.

“Well I can, but you know how it is when people change their minds, I’ve seen twenty different futures and I’m not entirely sure which one to follow.”

I sighed and reached into my jacket pocket. “Here,” I said handing her the letter I had written earlier in the day. “Give this to Edward will you? And wish me luck.” I smiled though I truly felt like crying, turned the key and hit the gas.

“Luck.” My sensitive ears picked up as I sped down the drive.

The splendid pleasure that I first experienced when riding, has not faded with time. The smooth velvet voice still rings in my ears, chastising me for my foolishness, but I can’t care if all goes according to plan—well I won’t go there just yet. I park the bike in short term parking at the airport, no doubt one of my family members will come by and pick it up, if not well there’s always that new model I’ve been looking at. The airport was packed with travelers, I fought back the nagging need to feed, which was good the more people to look at allowing me to go unnoticed.

I wondered into a store and purchased a larger suitcase, at another store I got clothing. I hurried to the check-in counter attached an identification ticket to the new case filled with new clothes I checked the bag for the ticket Carlisle bought, that plane was going to Alaska, to bad I wouldn’t be there to meet my newly purchased luggage. I repeated the process with another ticket I had purchased the day before, this time it was headed to New York. I had been careful when planting these false destinations nothing over-seas, that might have pushed him past where I wanted him. However, if he was smart and read the letter all the way the only thing he would need was one plane ticket and maybe a little grand-theft auto.

After planting a few false leads, I checked in to my actual flight to Seattle.